Columbus, Ohio, January 11, 2002 The number one-ranked Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team (1-0 overall) downed Ohio State, 3-1 (30-28, 31-29, 25-30, 30-26) in its 2002 season opener Friday night in Columbus, Ohio. Juniors Zach Slenker (Dallastown, Pa.), Carlos Guerra (Tamaulipus, Mexico) and Zeljko Koljesar (Kitchener, Ontario) combined for 51 of the team¡¯s 66 total kills.

The Nittany Lions were led by middle hitter Slenker, who had 17 kills on 22 attempts with one error (.727). Penn State out-hit the Buckeyes (0-1) for the match, .308 to .298, including a stellar second-game hitting percentage of .571 (19-3-28). Koljesar tallied a team-high 20 kills while adding nine digs and two blocks. Guerra notched 14 kills and four digs on the night. Returning All-American Jose Quinones (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) dished out 57 assists to lead the Penn State offense in the four-game victory.

Ohio State was led by Pieter Olree with 25 kills while setter Mark Peckham directed the Buckeye offense with 47 assists. Ohio State also out-blocked Penn State 11-7 and held the advantage in service aces at 5-4.

Penn State returns to action Thursday, Jan. 17 when it takes on Hawaii in their opening match of the Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Lions¡¯ season home-opener is Tuesday, Jan. 29 vs. St. Francis beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Rec Hall.

Visit www.GoPSUsports.com for game statistics and more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team.